The Girl Who Loved
by RatheraMutemwiya
Summary: This is femmeslash, in particular Hermione/Ginny. There's a new chapter posted as of July 29th, please read and review! Other parings: Drac/Nev,Sev/Gild,Harry/Pansy
1. Of Longing

The Girl who Loved - Part I  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Warning: This is slash! You heard me.... S-L-A-S-H. There's nothing  
here yet in the slightest, just a few romantic ponderings, I've posted   
this small part in the hopes of getting some feedback in regards to style.   
This is my first attempt at this type of story. The pairing is   
Ginny/Hermione.  
  
Updated Author's Note: I submitted this again because for whatever reason  
all the HTML tags were showing up in this document. Sorry about that, hope  
this is more readable for anyone who cares.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny's eyes followed Hermione from across the room, memorizing every   
movement of her legs, every wiggle of her hips, even the careless   
tosses of her curly hair- nothing escaped Ginny's watchful look. Ginny   
knew Hermione so well now, after observing her for the past month, that   
she could almost predict the elder girl's actions, perhaps even before   
Hermione herself knew what she planned to do.   
  
A touch of a hand upon her shoulder, light but sharp, stirred her from   
her staring and she instinctively lowered her gaze from Hermione and   
met the worried eyes of her brother. Ron stood before her, his expression   
stony. Wordlessly he beckoned for her to follow him out of the common   
room. Ginny set aside her book, A History of Hogwarts, and hopped out   
of the red velvet chair to the ground. Her ill fitting black robes clung   
too tightly to her form, and she stumbled slightly as she readjusted to   
walking in her too small boots.   
  
Ron led his sister into his dorm, which was empty, as most of the boys   
of the house were at Quidditch Practice, either as participants or as   
watchers. Sitting down on his bed, Ron watched his rather abashed sister.  
  
Swallowing back a lump of nervousness that rose in her throat, Ginny asked hesitantly, "What is it, Ron?"   
  
Ron sighed, running his hands through his mangled hair with agitation.   
Deciding bluntness was best, he asked, "Is there some particular reason   
you've been staring at Hermione recently?"  
  
Ginny grimaced. Of course he noticed, she thought to herself irritably,   
how could he not? She forced herself to reply flippantly, "I stare at   
her no more than you do, dear brother."  
  
Blushing, Ron muttered, "That's different. I'm... well, it's just   
different. Look, is it... is it Harry?"  
  
Harry. There was a time when the mere sound of that name would have   
sent a tingle down Ginny's back. Now, it was meaningless to her. But   
there was opportunity in her brother's question. Lowering her gaze,   
Ginny mumbled, "It's just not fair. I just want to know why... why he   
likes her." A part of that was true, at any rate. It wasn't fair.   
Everyone in Gryffindor had someone, even her bumbling brother had   
his Lavender now. But Ginny didn't. It was worse than the ones she   
liked being taken... it was that they could never like her in the   
first place.  
  
As Ginny reflected, Ron composed an appropriate "Older Brother" speech   
in his head. He almost wished Percy were around, the "Head Boy" was   
certainly better suited to this role than Ron. "Look, Ginny..." He   
began. "Harry isn't worth all this. He's just a boy like any other. I   
know it's easy to be jealous of him, and of Hermione, everything seems   
to come so easily to them."  
  
Ginny stifled a laugh. She wasn't jealous of Hermione! Far from it,   
to be truthful. But for Ron's sake, Ginny looked repentent, "I know,   
it just seems sometimes that our lives would be so much easier if we   
had their money and fame and... and everything!"  
  
Money. Now that had always been a word Ron hated, and he winced to   
hear his sister speak it now. "I'm sorry, Ginny," he whispered,   
"Maybe someday we will. Try not to let it get to you." He hugged her   
akwardly, and Ginny took the opportunity to make an exit. Ron remained   
long after she had left, thoughts of galleons haunting his mind.   
Ginny's thoughts, in contrast, were not nearly as simple.   
  
Walking down the spiral staircase, Ginny almost collided with the   
Boy who Lived himself. Harry was in a fury, his hands clenched at   
his side, his eyes bright with either tears or sparks of lightening   
ready to shoot out at any in his way- or perhaps both. He barely   
glanced at Ginny as he roughly pushed her aside. Her heart in her   
throat, Ginny ran down the stairs two at a time, hoping beyond   
hope that Harry's appearance meant what she had only dreamed could   
come to pass.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione watched from over the top of her arithmancy book as Harry   
returned from Quidditch practice, smiling and exhultant over his   
success on the field. He was as good on the field as he was fighting   
evil dark lords singlehandedly, Hermione thought absently. A perfect   
match for her, the top student, the studious teacher's pet. So why   
couldn't he love him? Perhaps the problem was in his very nature...   
were he a her, things might have been different.  
  
Last summer, Hermione had attended a camp for young writers. There,   
she had met Anna. It was only a summer fling, true, but why was it   
that Hermione had enjoyed that summer fling more than her year long   
romance with the Boy who Lived? There must be something wrong with   
me, Hermione thought bitterly. Any girl in the school would love   
to date Harry. So why am I so tempted to let them?  
  
To be Continued...  



	2. Of Endings

The Girl Who Loved- Part II  
~~~~~~  
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed part I:-) Personal   
replies to those of you who reviewed before I wrote this will be at   
the bottom. Note: This story is s-l-a-s-h. It may not be all that   
believable, but I'm trying!  
~~~~~~  
Hermione watched from over the top of her arithmancy book as Harry   
returned from Quidditch practice, smiling and exhultant over his   
success on the field. He was as good on the field as he was fighting   
evil dark lords singlehandedly, Hermione thought absently. A perfect   
match for her, the top student, the studious teacher's pet. So why   
couldn't he love him? Perhaps the problem was in his very nature...   
were he a her, things might have been different.  
  
Last summer, Hermione had attended a camp for young writers. There,   
she had met Anna. It was only a summer fling, true, but why was it   
that Hermione had enjoyed that summer fling more than her year long   
romance with the Boy who Lived? There must be something wrong with me,   
Hermione thought bitterly. Any girl in the school would love to date   
Harry. So why am I so tempted to let them?  
  
Harry plopped down into the seat next to Hermione, casually wrapping his  
arm around her stiff shoulder. Peering down at her arithmancy book, he  
scoffed, "Arithmancy again?" He rolled his eyes as he continued, "You'd  
really rather read about math then come watch Quidditch practice?"  
  
Something in Harry's tone rankled Hermione. "Arithmancy on its worst   
day is ten times more interesting than watching you chase after tiny  
golden balls on a bloody broomstick!" She snapped.   
  
Shocked by the vehemence in her tone, Harry edged away from Hermione,  
his arm falling limply to his side. "Well if that's the way you feel  
about it, fine. Perhaps you'd rather be dating Proffesor Vector than  
me." As a mental image of Hermione and the stuffy old teacher entered  
his mind, Harry shuddered. "As far as I'm concerned, we're finished."  
  
Before Hermione could even reply, Harry stalked up the stairs to his   
dorm.  
~~~~~~  
  
Ginny peered into the common room, her green eyes shining in the light  
of the lanterns that hung from every wall. Her shoes squeaked on the  
tiled floor, announcing her presence to Hermione. Turning to glare up  
at the intruder, Hermione's expression softened considerably upon seeing  
Ginny and not Ron or -heaven forbid- Harry approach.  
  
Confidence fled from Ginny's heart the moment she entered Hermione's  
presence. Hermione was so... perfect, not only in mind but in body and  
spirit. There was no way such a creature would ever be attracted to   
Ginny. But still... she had to know if there was a chance. She mustered  
all her courage to speak, "So Hermione... I saw Harry on the landing..."  
  
Hermione winced at Harry's name. "I broke up with him. He... he insulted  
Arithmancy." When she said it out loud, Hermione realized just how  
infantile her reasoning seemed. Yes, she and Harry had their differences...  
but a love of learning versus a love of sports hardly seemed grounds  
for a bitter break up.  
  
Ginny's thoughts mirrored Hermione's as she asked increduously, "Why'd  
you really break up with him?"  
  
Hermione bristled at Ginny's tone. "Why do I need a reason?" She hissed  
in irritation. Remembering Ginny's crush on the boy hero, she added,   
"If you're here because you want to make sure he's really free, by all   
means, take him. Hero or not, he's still just a boy."  
  
Something in Hermione's words made Ginny's heart flutter with sudden hope.  
"Is that why you dumped him?" Ginny asked tentatively. "Because he's a   
*boy*?"  
  
Hermione looked up at Ginny thoughtfully. It was amazing, Hermione thought  
rather randomly, that Ginny had turned out as well as she had without any  
females her age to talk to. Hermione couldn't imagine living in a house   
with all the Weasley males. Since Ginny had started Hogwarts, Hermione   
had tried to act as an older sister for Ginny, but recently she'd been so  
distracted with dating Harry that she hadn't spent any time with her.  
  
Gesturing for Ginny to sit beside her on the couch, Hermione said tiredly,  
"I don't know why I broke up with Harry. It's just... when I kiss him,  
it's not what I think a kiss should be. I care for him, but there's  
something missing." She shook her head tiredly. "I know it sounds silly."  
  
Ginny impulsively reached for Hermione's hand, only to withdraw quickly.  
"It doesn't sound silly at all to me." She murmured. "I know exactly   
what you mean. That's why I broke up with Neville."  
  
Hermione smiled slightly at the memory of the younger girl's three year  
relationship with the bumbling Neville. "I thought that was because you  
still liked Harry."  
  
"Harry??" Ginny stifled a giggle. "Hardly. No, I broke up with Neville   
because males in general no longer hold any interest for me." The words  
were out before Ginny had time to consider them. She winced at her own  
casualness, but in a way, it felt good to speak of her "abnormality" so  
openly for once.  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "How'd you come to that decision?" She  
asked, more out of curiousity than anything else.   
  
Ginny shrugged. "Sometimes you just know, I guess." She hesitated, and  
stood up on weak legs. "Some people can go on for years living normal  
lives, and denying what they truly feel, but those people can never be   
truly happy."   
  
With that, Ginny nodded to Hermione and bounded up the stairs to her  
dormitory. Hermione watched her leave, and her finger traced over the   
binding of her arithmancy book in almost a caress. Ginny had, whether  
conciously or not, given Hermione something to think about.   
~~~~~~  
To be Continued...  
  
Yes, I know that was still short, but I needed some feedback:   
Do Ginny and Hermione have any chemistry, or should Ginny be left with  
another brokenhearted crush?  
  
Please review if you made it this far!  
  
To my past reviewers (thankyouthankyou!)  
  
FirenzeFire: I can appreciate that you found this "stupid", but more  
specific criticism would be useful.  
  
*~*Ginny*~*: I'm glad you gave my attempt at slash a try, thanx ;-)  
  
Noir: **grin** Thanx, I'm trying to work on my writing skills.  
  
Shaunard the Drummer: I'm glad you enjoyed it, one of my major struggles  
is with character potrayal.  
  
Kayla: I've loved some of your fics, I'm glad you liked mine!   
  
Miss Kitty: As requested, here's the next part, I hope you enjoy this as well!  
  
Shareen: Well, here's the next part... hope you like it.  
  
Celenae the Goddess of REVENGE: Thanx for not prejudging, it's a nice change from some :-)  
  
Anonymous at 1:00 AM: I'm glad you think it has potential, I've had fun writing this.   
  
Thanks again! :-)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Of Honor

## The Girl Who Loved: Part III

  
**Author's Note:** Yes, I'm still writing this, and I'm still working   
on my ability to depict love... so any advice you have on pairings/  
realism/ my writing style/ anything would be much appreciated! Criticism  
is welcome and in fact desired, because I know this is far from the quality  
I'd like. So, read, review, and.. if at all possible... enjoy!   
  
**Disclaimer:** THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! Actually it isn't yet technically,  
but that's the plan, so if it offends you that I'm a lesbian who can't  
imagine a 100% straight society at Hogwarts, then go read something  
else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and I'd love to hear from anyone  
with similar tastes :-)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny Weasley sprawled on the bed in her dorm room, her red hair flying   
out in every direction over the white linen of her pillow case. She gazed   
up at the cracks in the plaster of the ceiling, inwardly berating herself   
for her own idiocy. If Hermione let slip Ginny's unconventional preference   
in partners to *anyone*, the Weasley name would fall farther than all of   
her brother's pranks and mishaps combined had managed to take it.   
  
  
The simple fact of the matter was that family honor was everything in the   
wizarding world, much as Gryffindors in particular denied it. Just one   
look at the Malfoys confirmed that: their family name meant more to them   
than life itself. Any Malfoy who was sorted into another house besides   
Slytherin would kill themself out of shame, and certainly no Malfoy would   
ever be caught consorting with one whose blood was at all tainted with the   
mud of muggle heritage. Family expectations and honor outweighed any   
personal desires or inclinations.   
  
This last was as true, Ginny knew, for her as it was for the odious Draco   
Malfoy. If word got out that the youngest- and only- daughter of the   
Weasley's was a... a lesbian, well, suffice to say that the wizard   
community was not as tolerant as one could have wished. Oh sure, there   
were a few people even around Hogwarts that everyone knew held feelings   
for members of the same sex... Remus Lupin for example. But Lupin was   
poor, his family of little note in the wizarding world, and to be frank   
he hurt no one but himself with his little oddities.   
  
Ginny, on the other hand, had a family that would be mortified beyond   
belief if she acted unconventionally in the slightest. Maybe Draco was   
right, the Weasleys *were* poor themselves, but Ginny's father still   
had a position at the ministry. And that did count for something,   
whatever Draco might say.   
  
As Ginny pondered, another girl, seperated from Ginny by only a wall of   
ancient stone, was lost in musings of her own. In the 6th year dorm,   
Hermione stared blankly into her Impossibly Advanced Potions book   
as Ginny's words echoed through her mind. "Some people can go on for   
years living normal lives, and denying what they feel, but those   
people can never be truly happy." Was she happy, Hermione wondered.   
Had she ever been happy?   
  
The question was a ludicrous one, Hermione's sensible mind told her.   
What was there not to be happy about? She was brilliant, at the top   
of her class in almost every subject, with two best friends who also   
happened to be a pair of the most promising young wizards around.   
One of those friends had also been her boyfriend, and that should have   
been perfect too... he was, after all, Captain of the Quidditch Team   
and all around star of the school. But it hadn't been perfect.   
  
In fact, none of it really mattered to Hermione, not even the polished   
Prefect badge pinned to the front of her loose robes. When it came down   
to it, none of this was important, none of it made her heart race and   
her soul skip the way a moment in Anna's arms had last summer.   
  
  
What was wrong with her?   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
+~~The Next Day~~+   
  
The common room seemed louder than usual when a dissheveled Ginny   
descended the stairs from her dorm. Her appearance was unkept, with her   
hair tied back with a scarlett ribbon that clashed garishly with the red  
of her hair. Her robes clung too tightly to her body, riding up   
several inches from the ground with the ragged hem displayed prominently.  
In short, she was hardly looking her best- but that didn't matter to  
Neville, to whom she could be beautiful no matter what her garb.   
  
Neville regarded Ginny now with no admiration in his intense gaze.   
Instead, his face held a bitter longing for times past. He had been   
fortunate enough, two years ago, to have Ginny for his girlfriend.   
  
Well... perhaps "fortunate" wasn't the right word for it. Even when Neville  
had dated Ginny, he'd known her attention was never really on him. If   
Harry had suggested to Ginny, even in passing, that he'd grown fond of   
her, that would have been it, Neville had no illusions that Ginny   
would even have hesitated before dumping him to bask in the smiles   
and glory of "The Boy Who Lived." Neville had only been a placeholder,  
a way to get to the school dance where Harry would be.   
  
But not any more. Neville wasn't going to let himself be the bungling   
idiot of Gryffindor house any longer. Ever since he had managed to finish   
just below Hermione in herbology, Neville had found himself a new friend.   
Someone who appreciated his skills, and didn't laugh every time he made   
a mistake in class. Well, at least he didn't laugh now that Neville   
had joined him.   
  
The clock on the wall toned 9 o clock in the morning, and Neville   
hurried out of the Common Room and down the stairs, heedless of the   
gossiping paintings that lined the stone walls.   
  
Finally, Neville reached his destination- a small, out of the way   
dungeon. One figure stood in the room, tapping his foot impatiently   
as he waited.   
  
Neville cleared his throat, and the figure turned. "Hello Neville."  
Came the gentle voice, quiet and regal.   
  
"Hello, Draco."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To be Continued....   
Eep! I promised myself I wouldn't let Draco enter in this fic, and   
now look what I've done. Okay, I have a confession: I'm obsessed with   
villians. Shocking, eh? **sigh** And just so you know, yes, I was   
toying around with ideas of a Draco/Neville pairing. And don't give   
me that look, I know I'm crazy, thank you very much.   
  
Well, thanx to everyone who reviewed The Girl Who Loved Part II...  
it's reviews that keep me writing at all :-) Look for the next part   
within the next two days! 


	4. Of Beginnings

The Girl Who Loved: Part IV  
  
Author's Note: Some of you expressed actual annoyance when I set this  
fic aside for a few days to work on my Draco/Neville companion fic,  
The Boy Who Cried. So here it is... part IV of The Girl Who Loved. And  
for impatient shippers, yes, the Ginny/ Hermione relationship will   
start to show in this one! Just give it time... speaking from experience,  
an "unusual" sexual orientation isn't the easiest thing to come to   
terms with.   
  
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! And this is where it starts to show up,  
not all that physically quite yet, but if that sort of thing offends you  
for whatever bigoted reason you may have, then go read something  
else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and I'd love to hear from anyone  
with similar tastes :-)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As she walked through the hallways in a sleep deprived haze, Ginny   
didn't even notice the disarrayed state of her clothing or the stares  
she was recieving from other students who tended to be more fastidious  
about their appearance. She made her way through the halls mechanically,  
her only thoughts centered on the glorious breakfast that awaited her  
in the dining hall. When she entered, most of the school was already   
seated, and several heads swiveled in her direction to observe her  
entrance.  
  
Still exhausted as she plopped into an empty chair at the table, Ginny  
was unaware that as she had made her way from the common room the wrinkled  
robes- the same ones she had slept in the night before- had come untied at  
the neck and were now threatening to slip off her thin shoulders. The   
straps of her lacy black bra were visible, much to the amusement of a group   
of 3rd and 4th year Slytherin boys who pointed in her direction and   
snickered.  
  
As Ginny picked away at her french toast, a rather sarcastic young first  
year across the table asked snidely, "Long night?" Ginny ignored her, too  
tired even to come up with a suitable retort. It didn't matter if some  
silly first year thought that she'd been up all night with a boyfriend,  
because soon enough everyone would know that wasn't possible. Ginny could  
never have been up all night with her boyfriend, because the simple fact  
of the matter was that Ginny didn't like boys. And now that Ginny had let  
that fact slip to Hermione, she was surprised it wasn't the talk of the  
table by now.  
  
But Ginny had underestimated Hermione. The Gryffindor prefect was currently   
ushering a group of first years who couldn't be bothered even after   
several months at Hogwarts to learn their way to the Dining Hall, and the  
thought of revealing Ginny's secret was the furthest notion from her   
mind. What *was* on Hermione's mind was her own resolve to be true to   
herself. After a long night of staring blankly at textbooks, Hermione  
had come to no real conclusion as to what exactly it was she wanted.  
But she knew it wasn't Harry, or any of the other Gryffindor boys. And to  
her mind, that left only one option.  
  
Hermione walked with an air of confidence to the farthest end of the  
Gryffindor table, brushing past her usual seat with Harry and Ron. She   
did not meet Harry's gaze- she couldn't face his eyes right now, that   
intense stare filled with hurt and anger that she knew was focused on  
her with every step she took. Seeing an open seat next to Ginny, she set   
down her bookbag and pulled out the chair quietly, sitting down before  
Ginny had looked up or even noticed Hermione's presence.  
  
When the presence of another student did finally penetrate the fog of   
Ginny's exhausted mind, she looked up without interest, expecting to  
see another irritating first year, come to mock her for the shame her   
heart was causing her. Instead, when Ginny's eyes met those of Hermione  
she sat up a little straighter in her seat, startled. Unconciously she  
ran her fingers through her hair, trying to force it to stay down so   
that she maintained at least some sembelance of humanity.   
  
It was rather silly, Ginny thought to herself with a sigh. Here she   
was, faced with a girl that she knew by now could never care for her,  
and yet still her vanity obliged her to try to impress Hermione with  
her appearance. Glancing down and finally noticing the state of her  
robes, she realized with a wry smile that it was too late for that, and  
in embarassment she pulled her robes closed and tried to reassemble  
herself as Hermione looked at her in silence.  
  
Hermione felt her skin heat at the sight of Ginny. It looked like the  
youngest Weasley hadn't slept at all last night, and certainly the state  
of her attire suggested that perhaps Ginny wasn't up to a heart to heart  
discussion right now. Although she couldn't help but notice the thin   
frame and perfect skin that Ginny had unwittingly left revealed, Hermione  
still felt akward with the situation. When she finally spoke, it was  
quiet and uncertain. "Ginny... I was thinking about what you said last  
night."  
  
Wincing, Ginny muttered, "It was nothing. I'd rather not discuss it.   
For that matter, I'd rather you not discuss it with anyone."  
  
Hermione was almost tempted to back off then and there, but the echo of  
last night's conversation wouldn't leave her in peace till she'd said  
what she had to say. But the dining room was hardly the place for such  
a conversation, so Hermione merely said, "Well, I still have some things  
I'd like to say. But just to you. Could you meet me in Hogsmeade outside  
the bookstore this afternoon?"  
  
Ginny sighed, sensing that Hermione was not going to let this pass.   
"Fine. I'll see you there around noon." Placing her fork down beside  
her unfinished food, she rose unsteadily to her feet and made her way  
back to the dorm, her desire for a good meal overcome by a need to spend  
a few moments in peace and a longing for a nice shower and change of  
clothes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione looked down at her watch, one of the remnants of her "muggle"  
existence that she kept with her during the schoolyear, and waited  
impatiently for Ginny to arrive. Finally, ten minutes past noon, a   
familiar red bush of hair appeared in the distance. But as the figure  
approached, Hermione realized with a sinking heart that it wasn't  
Ginny, but Ron. And with him was none other than the boy wonder himself,  
Harry Potter.  
  
Ron saw Hermione and winced. This was not a confrontation he was looking  
forward to being in the middle of, and if Ron had known how to apparate  
this would have been the time for it. Instead, he plodded haplessly  
behind Harry as Harry walked up to Hermione with a forlorn look in his  
blue eyes. "Hello, Hermione."  
  
Hermione looked up at Harry, trying not to flinch at his pain. They   
clearly hadn't been meant for eachother, Hermione reminded herself.  
The breakup was for the best. This was simply how things had to be.  
But the words sounded hollow even in her mind. She knew that after  
having been Harry's girlfriend, she would not be able to return to  
the contented friendship of their earlier years at Hogwarts. "Hello,  
Harry." She murmured. She nodded to Ron in greeting, looking at him  
almost pleadingly. Get him away from here, she wanted to scream. I  
can't deal with this right now. I don't want to deal with this   
right now.  
  
Ron shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another in the ensuing   
silence. "Hermione... Harry and I were just headed to get some   
butterbeers... would you like to join us?"  
  
Hermione shook her head emphatically in the negative. "I'm sorry, I'm  
meeting Ginny here any minute now. She needs some help with Potions,  
and I'm going to help her find the right book for extra study."  
  
Ron grinned, "Next thing you know she'll be quoting A History of  
Hogwarts herself. Well, we'll leave you to it... See ya, Hermione."  
He half led, half dragged Harry away before any more could be said.  
  
When the two were out of sight, Ginny stepped out from the shadows  
of the nearby trees. "You wanted to talk?" She asked quietly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione and Ginny walked along the path in silence, holding off  
on any conversation until they were well beyond the normal lurking  
spots of Hogwarts students. Settling down on a bench in an out of the  
way clearing, the two looked around nervously, neither sure where  
to begin.  
  
Finally, Hermione said quietly, "Ginny, you remember what you said   
last night?" The question wasn't the most sensible of things- after  
all, it was firmly established that both weren't going to forget the  
words of the night before anytime soon- and Ginny didn't even bother  
to reply. Therefore Hermione was forced to continue, "Well, I was  
thinking, and you might be right. I think I might have been denying  
what I really want."  
  
Ginny looked up at this, intrigued. "Go on, please." She whispered,  
feeling the renewed beat of hope that this was to be the moment, that  
finally her crush would be returned by the object of her affections.  
  
"When I was at summer camp... I met a girl. She was a lesbian, and  
she flirted with me. I flirted back, I figured it was nothing serious.  
Then, after the end of camp dance, she kissed me. It was..." Even  
Hermione's well refined vocabulary didn't contain the words she   
required. "It was like nothing I've ever felt."  
  
Ginny's heart fell. Somehow, this was worse than anything she had   
imagined, in all her nightmares throughout the years. Hermione was   
interested in girls... she just wasn't interested in Ginny. "So   
this girl, who is she?" Ginny asked in monotone, feeling like she   
should say something.  
  
"Just someone." Hermione said almost dismissively. "That isn't the   
point." Wringing her hands, she finally said, "I think maybe the   
problem for me with Harry has been that everything about Harry isn't  
right for me. And maybe... maybe there's something about you that  
could be right."  
  
Blinking, Ginny stared at Hermione in silence. Hermione dug her nails  
into her hand, fearing that Ginny's reaction was one of disgust or  
rejection.   
  
Mind and heart racing, Ginny studied Hermione. Everything that was  
happening was, well, too good to be real. She had to know... too  
often Ginny's relationships were shortlived because the girl in  
question would decide that she wasn't really a lesbian, that Ginny  
wasn't really attractive to her. So now, rather than set herself  
up for another heartbreak, she would take the risk now.  
  
Leaning forward, Ginny pressed her lips against Hermione's,   
drawing the older girl to her...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To be Continued....   
  
Don't kill me for the cliffhanger. :-)  
  
Alright, I know this doesn't resolve that scene at the very end of part  
III, but that's because I need to build up more background with "The Boy  
Who Cried" first :-) By the way, if you are reading this and you haven't  
seen any of "The Boy Who Cried" yet, please give it a shot! The two stories  
are going to be connected, along with the rather warped Snape/Lockhart  
fic that awaits typing- watch for that, it makes the third part of my  
series altraverse and will be entitled "The Man Who Lied." Thanx... I'll try  
to have the next parts of all the series in this altraverse up soon!!!  
  
  
Well, thanx to everyone who reviewed The Girl Who Loved Part II...  
it's reviews that keep me writing at all :-) Look for the next part   
within the next two days! (Hint: The more reviews I get, the more  
inspired I am to write faster :-) )   



	5. Of Envy

The Girl Who Loved: Part V  
  
Author's Note: Since I get more reviews on this series than any of my  
others, I figured since I've only got a little while to type I should  
type this part up. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! I'm assuming you all figured that out  
by now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Leaning forward, Ginny pressed her lips against Hermione's,   
drawing the older girl to her...  
  
Hermione's eyes widened at the sensation of Ginny's lips on her own.  
The kiss was all she had hoped for, and she knew that this was what   
had been missing with Harry. For a few minutes, both girls gave into  
their passions, losing themselves in the kiss. Reality could wait a   
bit, for now, this was all that mattered to either.  
  
But logic and reason were never far from Hermione's mind, and the   
first words that escaped her lips when she pulled away from Ginny  
were, "No one can know." It sounded cruel even to her, but Hermione  
had read far too much on discrimination and hatred against lesbians  
to believe that she and Ginny could walk into Hogwarts hand in hand  
without encountering resentment and loathing.  
  
Ginny winced at Hermione's words. She'd known from the start that   
Hermione wasn't going to accept her, after all, she'd learned to   
live with that disappointment after having a crush on Wonderboy  
Potter. But to hear Hermione reject her so quickly, so thoughtlessly,  
brought tears to Ginny's eyes. She drew further away from Hermione,  
her hand falling limply to her side. "Fine. If that's how you feel,  
I understand."  
  
Hermione frowned at Ginny's response. She hadn't meant that she didn't  
want to... to be with Ginny, just that no one could know about it.  
Oh. Kicking herself inwardly for her lack of clarity, Hermione whispered,  
"No Ginny, I didn't mean... I like you, if you still like me... but no  
one can know about it."  
  
Wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her robes, Ginny looked up into   
Hermione's own eyes. Why not, she was tempted to challenge, but controlled  
herself. Time enough to deal with that later. For now, she was simply  
content to wrap her arms around Hermione. Everything else could wait.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
An hour passed before Ginny and Hermione rose to turn their footsteps  
back to Hogwarts- an hour filled of whispered conversations and giggles,  
of tales of old romances and of silly childhood reminiscinces. All so  
meaningless, but for that one hour, it had meant more than anything  
else in the world. Simply because they were able to speak of it without  
akwardness and without worrying about anyone else but eachother.  
  
But reality intruded as the two came closer and closer to Hogwarts.   
Hermione's words echoed in Ginny's mind, "No one can know about it."  
That was all very well, but Hogsmeade weekends were rare, and if no  
one knew then they would be lucky to steal even a few moments alone  
each week. And Ginny was not so confident in her new status as   
Hermione's girlfriend that she was certain that, given the oppurtunity,  
Hermione would not choose the easy way out and date Harry or even  
Ron.  
  
Before Ginny could broach the subject, Hermione spoke. Her thoughts  
had been along the same lines as Ginny's, but they were tempered by  
the thought of being an outcast at Hogwarts. True, her brain had  
pretty much alienated her as it was, but she did not want to see  
this as the latest headline in Witch Weekly. And from what she'd  
read, it was rare enough, and hated enough, that it would catch  
the eye of the media. So when she spoke to Ginny, it was to say  
simply, "I don't like the idea much myself, Ginny... but think of  
how Ron would react. And your parents. And my parents. And everyone."  
  
Ginny grimaced a bit at that. She knew that already. The family  
name, the family honor... But she wanted more than anything to   
be able to forget all that. "I know." She whispered. "I know.  
But it won't be easy."  
  
Hermione did not reply, for after all, what could she say?  
It was true, it would not be easy. Even if their relationship was  
only just beginning, Hermione doubted that she and Ginny were going  
to be able to act the same around each other.   
  
However, all that was unimportant. Hermione wasn't a fan of lying,  
nor was Ginny, but that was simply what had to be done. For   
everyone's sake.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny was used to watching Hermione in silence, in secret. But  
it was so much harder now, when she would glance over during the  
later hours, when all the elder Gryffindors were gathered in the   
Common Room, and catch Hermione glancing back. To distract herself,  
Ginny threw herself wholeheartedly in her studies.   
  
It was a good thing, Hermione thought to herself as she sat in her  
dorm room a few nights after Ginny had first kissed her, that Ginny  
was not in any of her classes. That distraction would simply be too  
much. As it was, Hermione worked to avoid Ginny most of the time.  
She spent a good deal of her time in the library with Ron, helping  
him with her studies and focusing on her own.  
  
As Hermione labored to avoid Ginny, another person worked to avoid  
Hermione. Harry had taken to spending late nights out on the Quidditch  
field, ignoring his studies and everything else. When he was on his   
broom, far removed from the earth, flying effortlessly above the  
treetops- that was the only time when he could allow himself to forget  
all his earthly concerns. Namely, his breakup with Hermione.  
  
True, the breakup had in many ways been mutual, but that wasn't  
what was important. What was important was that Hermione had clearly  
been meant for him. She was brilliant, he was athletic and a good   
duelist, both were the stars of House Gryffindor. Now that they  
were seperate, Harry felt there was no one else equal to him in  
Gryffindor for him to spend time with. Even Ron was snubbing him,  
leaving Harry to walk around followed by the Creevey brothers.  
It made Harry feel uncomfortably like Draco Malfoy with his two   
goons but no real friends.   
  
And that was a feeling Harry could not bear.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny stood on her tiptoes, peering through a hole between the   
books on the library shelf to watch Hermione and Ron. The two were   
laughing about something or another, books spread out on the table  
before them unopened and ignored. For someone who claimed to care for  
girls and not guys, Ginny thought wryly to herself, Hermione certainly   
seemed to be enjoying Ron's company well enough. Though the thought  
was a wry one, nothing could eliminate the pang in Ginny's heart at   
the sight of the two laughing together.  
  
Hermione was avoiding Ginny, the two hadn't talked in days. Whenever  
Ginny saw Hermione, Ron was there too. Their companionship was   
deliberate, and it left Ginny to wonder where she stood. Trudging   
back to the common room, Ginny went up to her dorm and listened at   
the door for a moment. The childish gossip of her roomates drifted  
out to her, gossip about couples and romance. When she heard Ron   
and Hermione's names mentioned in the same sentence, Ginny decided  
she simply couldn't stand it any more. Drawing her robes tighter  
around her and lifting the ragged hood, Ginny went out to the lake  
for some time away from thoughts of this new, perfect couple.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To be Continued....   
  
There you have it. I'm not much of a romance writer, so any  
thoughts on how to pull this off better would be much appreciated.  
This story is far from done, so look for the next part. And...  
shameless self promotion ahead... do check out my other stories  
in this universe. After the next few parts are posted, they will  
all begin to tie together.... :-D  



	6. **First Multistory Chapter**

Continuation for all stories!  
  
Author's Note: Yes, it has been a while. Blame AP tests and   
final exams. Not to mention a few million other distractions,  
most originating from school. Anyhoo, this portion replaces  
my little teaser for the Girl Who Loved V and acts as the next  
part for *all* three fics.  
  
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! And this is where it starts to   
show up, not all that physically quite yet, but if that sort   
of thing offends you for whatever bigoted reason you may have,   
then go read something else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and   
I'd love to hear from anyone with similar tastes :-) (Thanks   
to Charlotte for being the first person to read the author's  
note *and* reply to it :-D )  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ron sidled closer to Hermione, wrapping his arm around the  
back of her chair as he leaned in to study the potions book.  
Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his touch, but put up  
with the casual contact without comment for the sake of   
appearances. She heard Lavender and Parvati giggling in the  
corner and blushed faintly- she knew what they were thinking,  
and didn't much approve of it. But... to hide her secret,   
she'd do what was neccessary. With a sigh, she snuggled closer  
to Ron.   
  
She didn't notice Ginny enter the common room and storm up  
the stairs in disgust.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny lay alone in her dorm room, trying to lose herself in a  
battered copy of "101 Things About the Dark Arts (that your   
teacher *never* taught you)." Ginny had found it discarded on  
the floor of the Gryffindor common room, and seeing that the  
name on the inside cover was "Neville Longbottom" she knew for  
a fact no one would guess it had been taken for days, so being  
too lazy to face the library, she'd "borrowed" it. Besides,   
the book held a strange fascination for her. Its descriptions   
of death and torture were certainly far more palatable than   
the new Hogwarts romance being enacted downstares.  
  
Not that Ginny would care about that. Not that all she could   
think about was the sight of Hermione and Ron together   
"studying".   
  
After all, it wasn't as if Ginny had been dumped.  
  
At least, not yet.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione waved to Ron as he departed on some small errand of   
his own, and waited until he'd passed through the Fat Lady's  
portrait before she hurried up to the girls dorm rooms.   
"Ginny?" She whispered, rapping gently on the door of the   
fifth year room. The door swung open to allow Hermione to  
enter.  
  
"Hey there, carrot top." Hermione said fondly as she took   
a lazy perch beside Ginny on the bed, running her fingers   
through her girlfriend's hair.  
  
"Hi, book worm." Ginny replied absently, her gaze not leaving  
her book.  
  
Hermione peered over Ginny's shoulder and read aloud from the  
page, "The corpsus concealus charm is used for funerals and   
any other necessary disposal of corpses. Originally developed  
by a crafty undertaker, the charm is now a standard spell in  
the tomes of Dark Arts practicioners. In one documented case,  
a follower of He Who Must Not Be Named used a variant of the  
spell to bury his victim alive..." She trailed off with a   
shudder. "How can you read this?"  
  
Ginny smiled unpleasantly. "I suppose it is rather morbid,   
but then, it suits my mood perfectly."  
  
Hermione frowned, taking the book from Ginny's hands and   
meeting her gaze worriedly. "And why is that?"  
  
"Why don't you go ask Ron?" Ginny replied fiercely. Grabbing  
the book back, she rose and stormed out of the room.  
  
Hermione's eyes watched Ginny leave, before she followed slowly.  
There was no talking to Ginny when she was like this. One   
thing was clear, however- Hermione needed to sort matters   
out with Ron.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
By the time Hermione located Ron in the main dining hall, it  
was time to go to Snape's class. The two walked together, but  
in the bustling corridors there was no chance to talk. Ron  
escorted Hermione in to Snape's dungeon only a few minutes  
before the start of class, leading her up to a seat right near  
Snape's desk. Dracao and Neville were seated across the aisle   
from them, along with their companions Crabbe and Goyle. Ron  
eyed the group nervously, but with no other seats in the room  
available there wasn't much he could do about being close to  
them.   
  
Draco met Weasley's gaze fiercely, smirking to himself when the  
other boy turned away. He unconciously stroked Neville's pale  
hand, not willing to speak but wanting to offer the other boy  
what assurances he could. He'd felt Neville tense as Ron drew  
near, and although he did not know the reason, he would venture  
to guess that it was in some way his fault.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Severus stormed in to the classroom, his robes billowing around  
him and revealing the black pajama pants he'd left on from when  
he'd stumbled out of bed only minutes earlier. If any of his   
students planned to laugh, their mirth was silenced by the   
ferocity of his glare. As he took his seat in front of the class  
room and regarded his students wordlessly, even Draco shifted  
uncomfortably in his seat. Finally Snape spoke, in a voice that-  
though barely louder than a whisper- carried into the darkest   
corners and caused even the spiders there to flee in terror.  
"Get out your cauldrons and open your tomes to the Lupus Noctus  
potion. I'll be checking them for imperfections in half an   
hour."  
  
Draco was first on his feet, opening his tome and going to the   
back table to gather the necessary ingredients. Other students  
followed only after they had reassured themselves that Snape   
wasn't planning to fry any student that moved. When Ron rose,  
Snape again spoke, just the sound causing many students to   
freeze guiltily in their tracks. "Weasley. I need to see you  
in my office."  
  
Ron gaped at him- what office, and why? But when Snape walked  
to the back of the room and opened a door Ron hadn't even *seen*  
before, Ron was quick to follow, gathering with him the notes  
he and Hermione had made on the memorious potion. The two   
disappeared from the room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Even with Snape gone, there was little conversation among the  
students. Draco watched the door of Snape's office worriedly.  
When Neville touched his arm and drew him back to reality,   
Draco shook his head. "Poor Weasley."  
  
"Now that's something I never expected to hear from you."   
Neville commented dryly.  
  
"Well I've rarely seen Snape that angry before." Draco replied  
with a shrug. "The way I see it, two things could be happening.  
Either Snape's about to detatch Weasley's head from his neck,  
or those two are sleeping together."  
  
"That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" Neville said with a grin.  
  
"Not as much as you might think. He *is* gay, you know. Father  
told me he and Lockhart almost got suspended for "inappropriate  
displays of affection when they went to school here. Lucky for  
Lockhart that Dumbledore decided to keep it quiet."  
  
"I bet that Skeeter woman would just love to hear about that."  
Neville grinned almost wickedly. "Just imagine how many hearts  
it would break if people found out Lockhart was gay."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of the first joint part in the series! Please review: what  
do you think of this style?  
  



	7. **Second Multistory Chapter**

Continuation for all stories!  
  
Author's Note: Yes, it has been a while. Blame AP tests and   
final exams. Not to mention a few million other distractions,  
most originating from school. Anyhoo, this portion continues  
from the last multistory part- once the students are out of   
potions class it will return to the usual separate stories,   
however, so bear with me here if you prefer that :-)  
  
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! And this is where it starts to   
show up, not all that physically quite yet, but if that sort   
of thing offends you for whatever bigoted reason you may have,   
then go read something else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and   
I'd love to hear from anyone with similar tastes :-)   
  
PS: For those of you who clamoured for more of Harry- I don't  
remember who it was, but I'm sure it was someone- you'll get   
it in this chapter!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry stood in the back of the potions classroom, akwardly  
gathering his ingredients together as he searched the room   
for a partner. For a moment, however brief, Harry wished  
that Colin Creevey were in the class- at least then he   
wouldn't have to be alone. As it was, the only Gryffindor  
without a partner was Hermione. And Harry refused to humble  
himself by going over to her. Which left the Slytherins.  
Well, what the hell? Neville had done it. So could he.  
  
Pansy Parkinson edged away from Milicent Bulstrode warily.  
She looked around hopelessly for Draco, but he was nowhere  
to be found. Not again! Pansy was sick of Draco avoiding   
her- she'd waited for him for over an hour in the library  
that very morning when he said he'd meet her there, but   
he never had. And now, he'd left her to babysit Millicent.  
Well, not today. Marching to the back of the room, Pansy  
went to confront Draco- and almost collided with Harry.  
  
Harry gritted his teeth in annoyance as several of his   
carefully chopped glow worms went flying from his cauldron.  
"Is there some reason you're running through the classroom,  
Parkinson?" He snapped icily.  
  
"None of your business, Potter." She noted with surprise   
that the boy wonder was working alone. Oh no, Pansy- you  
aren't really thinking that. Well... why not? At the very  
least, it might make Draco jealous. "Potter... do you need  
a lab partner?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione tossed the last of the ingredients into her potion,  
setting it to boil with a flick of her wand. She glanced up  
at the clock- Ginny would be in Transfiguration right now.   
Mayhbe working on her shielding spells would help Ginny blow  
off some steam. Hopefully. Because otherwise, she would have  
to get Ron to tell Ginny that there was nothing going on   
between them.   
  
And that would be problematic... because Hermione wanted Ron  
to ask her to the upcoming Yule Dance. She couldn't exactly   
go with Ginny, and as a prefect she needed to be there. If   
at all possible, she had to settle this without getting Ron  
involved.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ron stared in awe around the room that served as Snape's  
"office." Everything was black, green, or silver- clearly,  
Snape's devotion to House Slytherin ran deep. Or he wanted  
people to believe it did. Either way, it didn't surprise  
him. What surprised him was that this was clearly no office.  
A wardrobe and bookshelf lined one wall across from a   
luxorious four poster bed, but there was no desk in sight.  
  
Severus fumed silently as he led Ron into his chambers.  
The image of Lockhart suffering through the night as he  
lost some of his newly regained memories was still fresh  
in his mind, and it was hard for him not to give into the  
temptation to strangle Ron right then and there. However,  
he valued his position at Hogwarts too much for that.  
And besides, physical strength had never been one of his  
traits.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Any student at Hogwarts could attest that there was   
nothing quite so terrifying as being stared down by Snape.  
For Ron, the terror was twofold, as he hadn't the slightest  
idea what he'd done to deserve the Professor's rage. Snape's  
gaze had the same ability to petrify as the stare of a   
baskilisk, and Ron felt that all too clearly now as he  
quivered before him. When Snape *still* did not speak,   
Ron could handle it no longer.   
  
The first words to escape Ron's lips were- unsurprisingly  
considering who he was faced with- an apology. "Professor  
Snape, I'm sorry I didn't make it to mix the potion for  
you yesterday... but I couldn't get out until late and  
then it was time for light's out..."  
  
Snape rolled his eyes in disgust. "And just why was it,   
Weasley," he murmured venomously, "That you couldn't   
find the time for it earlier? This isn't some assignment  
you can blow off and forget about.  
  
"This is a man's mind. Does that mean nothing to you?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Neville's potion making abilities suffered from his   
perpetual distraction, and though he had the decency not  
to comment, Draco was beginning to get more than a little  
frustrated with him. Finally, when Neville looked up   
from his cauldron to glance at the door of Snape's office  
for the sixteenth time- Draco had been counting- he could  
take it no more. "What is it, Neville?? Is there something  
fascinating about that door the rest of us just can't see?"  
  
Having the decency to blush at the question, Neville said  
in a whisper, "It's nothing, really."  
  
Draco smiled cynically. "My dear Neville, 'nothing' isn't  
worth all the attention you've been directing over there.  
So what is it?"  
  
"Well..." Neville giggled, a rather feminine sound for all  
that it came from the mouth of a teenage boy. "I was just  
wondering what Ron and Snape are really up to, I guess."  
  
"I bet they're making out."  
  
"Draco!" Neville gasped with a mix of embarrassment and  
shock. "Really... that's just bloody unlikely."  
  
"You think so, eh?" Draco smirked. "I'll make you a bet.  
If Ron comes out of there looking...satisfied, you buy  
me dinner tonight in Hogsmeade."  
  
"Well..." Neville pretended to consider it. "That's not  
really fair, is it? He could come out of there looking  
happy for some other reason, for all you know."  
  
Draco gave him a look. "Oh yes, because we all know that  
being dragged into Snape's office is an occasion for   
such joy and celebration. Especially when Snape looks  
as mad as he did earlier."  
  
Neville grinned- Draco certainly had a point. It wasn't   
like Snape had called Ron in there to throw him a party  
or something. "Alright, it's a bet. But if... correction,  
*when*... I end up winning, you owe me dinner tonight."  
  
The two shook on it, both confident that they would win.  
Neville was certain of it, even.  
  
After all... if Ron were gay, surely Neville would have   
noticed it before now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry and Pansy labored in silence, neither one willing  
to be the first to speak. The cauldron between them   
simmered as it boiled while the two of them simmered   
equally inside- with the heat of rage. Ever since being  
cast off by their respective significant others, both  
had been alone. And from their loneliness only hatred  
had risen.  
  
If anyone had told Harry a year ago that he'd have more   
in common with Pansy than with Hermione, he'd have laughed.   
But now, as he fell deeper into self imposed isolation,   
he felt a kinship with Pansy that he would never before   
have imagined.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione hovered over her potion as it boiled, checking  
and rechecking the list of ingredients as she put the   
finishing touches on it. Now all she needed was for   
Snape to come out and criticize it... should only be  
a few minutes from now, she thought wrily, glancing up  
at the clock.   
  
Even after several years of taking potions, a way to  
please Snape with her endeavors had still not come to   
her. She'd read all the textbooks, made all the potions  
with enviable precision, and none of it seemed to have  
helped. And now, she had another perfect potion on her  
hands that he would pass by with only a snarl.  
  
Hermione looked again at the list of ingredients. What  
was it Ron had said yesterday... ingredients not making  
sense... Hmm. Why was it, she wondered, that unicorn  
hair was in here? Phoenix feathers would be more   
effective...  
  
Suddenly resolved, Hermione went and poured her potion  
down the sink, ignoring the horrified gasps of her   
classmates. Returning to the ingredients table, she   
began to pick out new supplies... this time with her  
own variations.  
  
For once, her grade was the furthest thing from her  
mind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Draco and Neville sat on the bench near their cauldron,  
bored. Their potion had been finished over fifteen minutes  
before, thanks to Draco's rather inventive shortcuts.  
  
Neville watched as Hermione dumped her entire potion  
into the sink. "What do you think got into her?" He   
whispered, nudging Draco and gesturing over to Hermione.  
  
Draco grinned, a hearty laugh escaping him. "Maybe the   
little Granger finally wisened up."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of the second joint part in the series! Please review:   
what do you think of this style? There will be another part   
like this to finish off the sequence before it returns to   
my usual style :-D  
  
ATTENTION ALL READERS: I'm looking for a beta reader for   
future parts... there are so many details to keep track of  
these days that I need some help. If you'd be willing to   
help out, leave a review with your email address.  
  



	8. **Third Multistory Chapter**

Third Continuation for all stories!  
  
Author's Note: Yes, I'm picking this story up again after   
leaving it unfinished for months. :-)  
  
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! And this is where it starts to   
show up, not all that physically quite yet, but if that sort   
of thing offends you for whatever bigoted reason you may have,   
then go read something else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and   
I'd love to hear from anyone with similar tastes :-)   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ron glared at Snape, angered by the accusation. He'd spent hours  
trying to find a cure for Lockhart, hours that should have gone   
towards Quidditch or romance or even homework-- and now Snape  
had the nerve to accuse him of being indifferent to Lockhart's   
plight! Rage rose in him, and rage made him bold. "I know this  
is a man's mind we're dealing with-- but it's you who needs my  
help, not the other way around. I've put hours into Lockhart's  
care, and I will continue to do so for his sake, so don't you  
*dare* accuse me of betraying him, or you, again!"  
  
Professor Snape's eyebrow raised, the only visible sign of his  
suprise. Well, well, he thought, so the Weasley has a backbone  
after all. The stress of watching Lockhart recover, only to watch  
him deteriorate again, had made him unreasonable. Whether he   
wanted to face it or not, Snape was dependent on Ron now, for in  
Ron's hands alone lay the ability to restore Lockhart's memories.  
  
"Forgive me, Mr. Weasley." The words were spoken with all of  
Snape's bitterness behind them, but at least he had managed to  
force them out. "I hope- I know- that you are just as concerned   
for Gild... for Mr. Lockhart as I. This last evening events   
forced me to come to term with the fact that Lockhart's condition  
might in some way be my... fault. I cannot risk brewing the  
potion for him again. If you would consent to be my lab assistant...  
at least for the next month... then perhaps there is hope for him."  
  
Ron's anger relented some, for he was only too familiar with   
pride, and the pain of having to relinquish it to ask for help.  
Snape's offer was more of a concession than he would have expected-  
professors rarely tapped a student to be an assistant, and when they  
did, it was normally a seventh year or at least a prefect. If  
Snape gave him that honor, he wouldn't have to worry about being  
caught out of bounds after "light's out" or any such infractions...  
it would be the perfect cover to help Lockhart. And even if Lockhart  
had been an insufferable git before, even he didn't deserve to   
continue like this. But working with Snape... Ron had certainly   
never expected to be in that position. "I would be honored, then,  
to work with you."  
  
Snape smiled, knowing very well that Ron could think of many more  
enticing ways to spend his free hours then working with Hogwarts'   
most loathed professor. "Very well then, I will file the necessary   
paperwork with Dumbledore. I'll expect you by tonight after dinner  
to work on the potion?"  
  
Ron nodded, encouraged by Snape's apparent good humor, and hastened  
to add, "Yes, I'll be there.. and there's something else, too, last  
night I did some research into the potion... I have a few ideas for  
how to speed up its effect."  
  
Snape doubted that a student could have uncovered anything that he  
hadn't noticed, but decided to indulge him nonetheless, "Bring your  
research with you then. But for now, I believe there's a potion in  
the other room awaiting your attention." He opened the door to the  
classroom and ushered Ron in before him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Ron returned to the cauldron where Hermione was working furiously,  
she barely acknowleged his approach. Ron watched her actions confused,  
for the ingredients she had out, not to mention the order she was  
adding them, didn't seem to follow the recipe in the textbook.  
  
"Err... Hermione? Are you sure that's right?"  
  
She finally glanced up at him, and began speaking rapidly, "Well, I'm  
not sure it's right... but you see, the original recipe called for   
phoenix feathers and that didn't seem logical because that would   
actually dilute the effects of the toad's feet so instead I'm adding  
swan feathers to keep the essence fundamentally in the element of   
water but then..."  
  
Ron raised his hand, cutting her off with a laugh, "You lost me a   
long time ago, 'Mione. I'm sure whatever you're doing will work fine."  
  
With a shrug, Hermione returned to her potion.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Far more interested in Ron and Professor Snape's return were Draco and  
Neville, who watched them eagerly as they looked for signs of a proper  
resolution to their bet. When they saw Ron had just a hint of a smile  
on his face, and Snape didn't even look as angry as he had when he'd  
left, Draco grinned in triumph. "See? I told you they'd be happy. You  
owe me dinner."  
  
Neville sighed, acknowledging the loss. "That's still a little creepy..  
I mean... *Snape*?"  
  
Draco smirked, "Well, even professors need to get laid."  
  
Neville shuddered, squeaking slightly at the image.  
  
Footsteps behind them stopped any further conversation. "Are you finished  
yet, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Longbottom?"  
  
Draco turned to Snape with an eager nod. "Oh of course, we were finished  
*ages* ago."  
  
Snape looked at the potion quickly, checking for consistency and color.  
Finally he nodded. "Creative as always, Mr. Malfoy. 5 points to Slytherin."  
  
At Malfoy's pointed look, Snape sighed. "And much improved, Mr. Longbottom.  
Mr. Malfoy has been a good influence on you, it seems. 5 points to...   
Gryffindor. You two might as well leave early, I don't expect any of the   
rest of these bunglers to be done any time soon."  
  
Draco and Neville were quick to exit, amid the glowers of jealous   
classmates still slaving over their cauldrons.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A half an hour later, Snape was making his final rounds checking potions  
and dismissing students when he reached Ron and Hermione. He already  
knew what to expect, a by the book potion that took no talent to produce,  
no knowledge, just pure and bland memorization.  
  
So it was with suprise and perhaps even pleasure that Snape regarded  
the potion, noting it's slightly darker color and the assortment of odd  
ingredients around the table.   
  
Hermione was flushed with pleasure as she paused in her stirring and  
waited for Snape's appraisal.   
  
"Swan feathers, Ms. Granger?" Snape finally asked, a hint of a smirk  
on his lips.  
  
Hermione swallowed. "To replace the phoenix feathers."  
  
"Did you consider the ramifications to the overall consistency?"  
  
"I tried to compensate with ginseng, which should have been neutral  
to the overall effect..."  
  
"Unless there was mandrake present for it to react with, which in this  
case there was. Note the colour."  
  
Hermione groaned, realizing she'd completely overlooked that.  
  
"Still... a reasonable effort. Full marks, but next time consider the  
full ramifications of any ingredients you add." With that, Snape moved  
on to the next pair.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry and Pansy had long ago lost interest in their potion, which had  
been completed halfheartedly and pronounced by Pansy suitable. They were  
now far more intent on their discussion of their classmates, and the  
apparent twists of personality and friendships that had marked the   
beginning of the year.  
  
"... and now Draco's been hanging around with *Longbottom* of all people,  
and completely ignoring me."  
  
"...Hermione's disappeared into the library, she won't even talk to me. And  
Ron seems more interested in seeking her out then bothering with me any  
more."  
  
There was almost a feeling of kinship between them, though their chatter was  
interrupted by Snape's approach. He glanced at their potion, sighed, and   
pronounced it "Barely satisfactory." With that, he marched out, leaving  
the few remaining students to gather their belongings and rush out with all  
the speed they could manage.  
  
Harry lingered, watching Pansy as she carefully packed her notes into a   
green and black shoulder bag. When she finally looked up at them, they stood  
in silence for an uncomfortable moment. "So..." Harry finally said.  
  
Seeing that Harry, for all his fame, was incapable of taking any initiative,  
Pansy inquired, "You have any plans for lunch?"  
  
Harry shook his head, but didn't speak.  
  
Sighing in exhasperation, Pansy asked pointedly, "Would you care to join me,  
then?"  
  
She finally got through to him, and he smiled. "I'd love to."  
  
Hand in hand, they headed to the Great Hall.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


End file.
